Roller-skate.



E E. HARDY. ROLLER SKATE.

APPLICATlON FILED JULY 25,1914.

PatentedSpt.7,1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

H k will Ivy any-a1" +9. SQLMM COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0., WASHINGTON, n. c.

E. E. HARDY. R'OLLER'SKATE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 25.1914.

Patented Sept. 7, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Jim/5010p:

Mfr/755555:

i a I i I EIVIERY E. HLARDY, F BAYSIDE, NEW YORK.

. ROLLER-SKATE.

Application filed July 25, 1914.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMERY E. HARDY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bayside,in the county of Queens and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Roller-Skates, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in roller skates, and the object of my improve ment is simplicity and economy in construction and convenience and efiiciency in use.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved roller skate. same. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the other end. Fig. -lis a plan view of the same. Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the same. Fig. 6 is a bottom view, with the wheels removed, and the parts adjusted to a different position. Fig. 7 is a sectional view on the line a: m of Fig. 1. Fig. 8 is a sectional view on the line y 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 9 is a sectional view on the line 2 e of Fig. 1. Fig. 10 is a bottom view, showing the two parts ofthe body portion partially disengaged. Fig. 11, sheet 1, is a side elevation of the front wheel. Fig. 12, sheet 1, is a sectional view of the same on the line it u of Fig. 11. Fig. 13 is a plan view of the sole member. Fig. 14 is a similar view of the heel member. Fig. is a plan view of the blank for the front heel lug member.

My improved roller skate comprises a .body portion made up of a sole member 10 at the front end and a heel member 11 at the rear end, which members are separably and adjustably connected together in a manner to be described and which are provided with roller or wheel devices and supporting means therefor that are of special character. The sole member 10 isprovided with a sin-' gle wheel 12 and the heelmember 11 with a pair of wheels 13, the latterbeing of the same diameter, and separatedby an appreciable space.

I prefer to make the front wheel 12, on the sole member 10, of appreciably greater diameter, as shown, than the rear wheels 13, on the heel member 11, and toextend the supporting means for the rear wheels 13 to compensate for the difference in the diameters, so that the tread portions that engage with the floor or ground will be at about the same distance from the body portion.

also provide an adjustable front heel lug 14 that engages withthe front wall of the Specification of Letters Patent.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the Patented Sept. 7, 1915. Serial No. 853,060. 3

heel, below the instep, and which cooperates with a fixed rear heel lug 15 that engages with the rear wall of the heel and which is provided at the rear end of the heel member 11. Lateral strap lugs 16 are provided at the sides of the heel member 11, having slots 17 for straps. I prefer to have the said strap lugs 16 pivotally connected to the heel member 11, as by a pivotal pin 18, so as to swing in a horizontal plane. The sole member 10 is provided with securing means 19 for securing the front end of the skate to the sole of the shoe which are ordinary, except that I provide slots 20 for straps in the up-turned lug member 21. That is to say, the lug member 21 is of the usual form for engaging the sole of the shoe, involving a curling over inwardly of the upper or tip end as shown and in addition thereto is provided with the bar as shown for the strap that is separated from the adjacent body portion of the lug member 21 by the strap receiving slot 20. This permits of freely connecting the strap to the lug member 21 without interfering with'the usual and ordinary operation of the securing means 19, so that the strap can be used independently of and in addition to said securing means 19. J

The interconnecting of the sole member and the heel member is effected in the fol lowing manner: The sole member 10 is pro vided with a rearwardly directed extension 22 and the heel member with a forwardly directed extension 28, which extensions overlap one another, the extension 22, on the sole member, overlying the extension 23 on the heel member. The extension 22 is bifurcated, comprising a pair of lateral members 24, separated by a slot 25 that is open at the free ends of the said members. the closed end of the slot 25 there is a headed stud 26, secured to the body'portion of'the sole member 10, the head 27 thereof being on the lower side and separated from the Adj acent said body portion by'suflicient distance to permit of sliding engagement therewith of rectangular in shape, the greater dimension thereof being mension is a lit for the slot-2$, suitably to permit free engagement and disengagement of the heel member 11 therewith when the positioned crosswise, or at right angles to the direction of the slot '28 when in normal position, and the smaller disame is turned at right angles to the said and engagement of the saidtslot and head.

normal I position. Accordingly, the sole Back of the headed stud 33 the heel memmember 10 and the heel member may be conber 11 is )rovided with a crosswise slot nected and disconnected when turned at through which pass the free ends of the right angles, the one to the other. lateral members 2% of the. sole member 10 The slots 25 and 28 are in registration, when adjusted to the shorter lengths, the under normal conditions, and the stud 26 is extreme ends thereof being thus housed on in line therewith, and the locking means that p the under side of the body portion of the I provide is positioned in the said slots, so heel member 11. On the under side of the that the members 10 and 11 may be adjusted sole member 10 is secured a U-shaped memlongitudinally to any position desired and ber that serves as the supportfor the front secured by the said locking means. As wheel 12 and on the heel member ,11 .is shown, the said locking means comprises a secured a second U-shaped member 37 which bolt 29 and-wing nut 30. I utilize the same serves asthe support for the rear wheels 13. lockingmeans, as described, to secure the In each case the said U-shaped member comso front heel lug ll in its adjusted position and prises a yoke portion which serves as the do this in the following manner: The said connecting means that is secured to the body front heel lug 14 consists of an upwardly portion of the particular member with which directed extension of the front heel lug it is connectedand a pairof side arms, slots member 31,, the body portion of which lies are providedin the side arms, and a shaft is along the upper side of the lateral members positioned in the slots, and the said shaft is 2 1. The saidbody portion has a longituheld in its proper position by means condinal slot 32 extendingalong the rear porsisting of, a pair of washers 38 mounted on tion and adjacent the front end of the said the said shaft and positioned in abutment slot and. in line therewith is a hole for the with the side arms, on the outer faces therebolt.29. Inthe heel member 11 is secured of, and stop lugs 39 formed by bending outa headed stud 33 that engages with the slot wardly the extreme end portions of the said 32. In the front heel lug portion 14 0f the side arms, there being a pair of such lugs,

member 31thereis provided a crosswise slot one on each side of the slot.

34:, at the lower portion thereof, whichslot The side arms lOreferred'to that are prois in communication with the longitudinal Vided on the front wheel supporting memslot 32, and which permits the head of the her 36 are approximately vertical and also headed stud 33 to pass therethrough, so that slots 41 provided therein. The side arms &2

the front, heel member can be disengaged on the rear wheel supporting member 37 are therewith by drawing the same a sufficient curved rearwardly, and the slots ,l3 therein distance forwardly. The blank for the front are rearwardly. directed to a slight extent. heel lug member 31 is shownin Fig. 15, the Furthermore, the arms 42 have sufiicienteX- same in the final form being bent at about tranlength ascomparedwith the arms 10 to.

right angles approximately along the broken. compensate for the excess in diameter of. line, 60 shown in the said figure so that the the front wheel 12 over that of the rear front heel lug portion 14- thereofwill be upwheels 13, as has been mentioned. The front standing relatively to the body portion. The arms 40 are spaced apart toreceive theremembers 10 and 11 are normally held tobetween the frontwheel 12, which is mount gether .byv the bolt 29passing through-the ed on the front shaft il by means of ball slots 25 and 28 and the nut 30, and when bearings. The rear wheels 13 are mounted the nut 30 is loosenedslightly the members on the ends of the rear shaft l5, whichends 10 and .11 are free to move relatively the one extend beyondthe arms 42.. The said arms tothe other. Accordingly, when loosely coni2 are spaced apart according to the spread nected asdescribedin case the skate is lifted desired for the two rear wheels 13 and are 1 p by. one of. the members 10 and 11 and the maintained in proper position by means'of 1 5 other is in pendent positionthe lowermost a spacing tube l6 mounted: on the middle of the said members [would drop. Actual portion of, theshaft I prefer to have, separation of the members is however prethe shaft 45 and the spacing tubelfi .fixedly I vented because the slot 28 is a closed slot, connected, as by providing a notch Aciin, the

the end wall of which would engage with the shaft, attabout the middleuportion, and suitstud 2,6, and thereby limit the longitudinal ably indenting the tube, as shown at.4l8. The movement of the members 10v and 11. In shafts-4 1 and 45 areprovidedwith-screw.

orderto effect a separation of the members threads from the ends inwardly suitablypto 1Ofand,l1'-the; clamping screw must berereceive certain ball.bearingparts-that; are

moved from engagement; therewith and the mounted thereon, and securing devices there- 1 5v members turned 90 degrees, as shown in F g. for, and securing devlces for; locking the 10, so as tobring the. slot 278 ofthe member shafts intheir proper, positionsin the slots 11 in registration with the longer dimen- 4:1 and 43 in the. side armselOv andl2.

sion of the rectangular head ofthe stud 27 In the case of the front wheel 12 and shaft and. thereby permit the free disengagement 44, the wheel 12, is at the middleof the shaft,

and the portion ofthe wheel adjacent the hole for the shaft is formed on each side suitably to serve as a raceway 50 for balls 51 for the ball bearings, and the cones 52 that cooperate therewith are secured against the inner faces of the arms a0 by clamping nuts 53 on the outer, faces thereof. Interposed between the said nut 53 and the arms 40 is the washer 38 that also serves as the positioning washer for positioning the shaft by reason of its engagement with its periphery edge with the outwardly turned lugs 39 on the said arms as has been described. It will be noted that the said positioning washer 38 also serves as a finishing washer, being of sufficient size to cover the slotted outer end portion of the arms 10, except for the lug portions 89 thereof.

In the case of the rear wheel portion the positioning washers 38 are positioned on the inner sides of the wheels 13, the arms 12 being clamped against the spacing tube 46 by the nuts on the shaft 45 and with the positioning washers between the same and the said arms e l-2, and with the edges of the washers in engagement with the lugs 39. It will be noted that the nuts 5 1 also serve as cones for ball bearings, the outer faces 55 thereof being formed suitably for a raceway for the balls 56 for the ball bearings 57 for the rear wheels 13. The parts of the ball bearings 57 for the rear wheels 13 are ordinary. The wheels 12 and 13 except for differences in size are similarly constructed. The front wheel 12 is shown in Figs. 11 and 12, and comprises two similar mating members 59 held together by a plurality of rivets 60. The said wheel members 59 have inwardly directed flanges 61 at the periphery that combine to form the tread of the wheel and at the middle are suitably shaped to form the raceway 50 already mentioned.

It is apparent that some changes from the specific construction herein disclosed may be made and therefore I do not wish to be un derstood as limiting myself to the precise form of construction shown and described, but desire the liberty to make such changes, in working my invention, as may fairly come within the spirit and scope of the same.

As mentioned, the front wheel 12 is of relatively large diameter and as shown the same is positioned appreciably rearwardly of the front securing means 19. This construction insures that the greater part of the weight of the individual in following the natural movements while skating will be supported for the most part by the front wheel, the rear wheels being freed from contact with the floor and from having anything to do with the support of the individual by the slightest tilting of the foot. Therefore, in operation, especially high speed work, my skate is essentially a one Wheel skate. Itis in such high speed work that the extra size of the front wheel comes into play, in reducing bearing friction in the first place, as is the usual. result of increasing the diameter of a wheel, and also in passing over without undue disturbance such ordinary unevennesses as are used for skating. the conditions being quite different from those found with skating on ice. With the higher elevation of the foot relatively to the point of sup ort due to the larger diameter of wheel the tilting of the foot, either to effect the one wheel condition or the re verse, is more easily effected. The rear wheels would accordingly serve for the most part as supports for standing or under conditions other than high speed, and really serve as a drag or means for effecting extra friction, and for this reason are utilized for braking and StODl')lHQ.

claim as my invention 1. In a roller skate, a body frame for en gaging with the foot, a set of rear-wheels positioned below the rear portion of the said body frame, and a single front wheel, positioned below the said body frame, in front of the said rear wheels, and appreciabl rearwardly of the front end of the said bod y' frame suitably to receive and sustain the greater part of the load supported by the said body frame, and the said front-wheel being of relatively large diameter.

In a roller skate, a sole member having a forked rear portion and a headed stud in front of the said forked rear portion, a heel member having a longitudinal slot for a portion of its length, the said stud being engaged with the said slot, and a clamping screw and nut serving to lock the said members together.

3. In a roller skate, a sole member hav ing a forked rear portion and a headed stud in front of the said forked rear portion, a heel member having a longitudinal slot for a portion of its length, the said stud being engaged with the said slot, and a clamping screw and nut serving to lock the said members together, and the said heel member havinga cross-wise slot suitable to receive the free ends of the said forked rear portion.

1. In a roller skate a body portion and a front heel lug, the said body portion having a headed stud and being provided with a longitudinal slot, the said heel lug compris- U-shape, comprising a yoke and side arms,

the said side arms having slots extending inwardly from the free ends, and a shaft for a wheel positioned in the said slots and secured to the said side arms, the free ends of the said arms being bent outwardly so as to overhang the body portion of the said secured to the said side arms, I said shaft overhanging the said side arms,

' arms and serving to prevent the removal of and a wheel operatively mounted on each of the said ends of the shaft, anda spacing tube mounted on the said shaft, and positioned between the said arms.

7. In a roller skate, a pair of arms, a shaft extendin through the said arms, a wheel on each s nd of the said shaft, a spacing tube mounted on the said shaft and positioned between the said arms, nuts engaged with the said ends of the shaft and serving to clamp the said arms to the said tube, and the said nuts having their outer faces Copies of this patent may be obtained for formed to serve as a raceway for'iballs for ball bearings.

8. A roller skate comprising a frame portion for engaging the foot composed of two a members having overlapping portions, positioning and locking means for the said overlapping portions comprising a headed stud on one of the said members, the other of the said members having a longitudinal slot for engaging with the said stud, and the head portion of the said headed stud being elongated; having the longer dimension positioned transversely of the said one member; being of suitable dimensions to pass through the said slot when the said longer dimension is in registration therewith, and

'to overhang the walls-thereof when out of such registration, whereby to disengage the said stud from the said slot in order to separate the said members it will be necessary to turn the said members relatively one to the other appreciably to one'side of the position oflongitudinal alinement.

I EMERY E. HARDY.

Witnesses:

F. E. GRANDALL, A. E. ABETZ.

five cents each, by addressingthe- Commissioner of Patents, Washington,,D. G. 

